HELLO, EARTHLINGS! Are you proud to be an Earthling? Do you want to
STAY an Earthling? Do you want future generations to be able to proudly
say that they are Earthlings? If so, then check out this awesome site
and learn how to live green and CALL YOURSELF A TRUE GREENIE!
We are middle school students in Seward Montessori that attend the
"Goin' Green" class. We want to inform you about being green and the
benefits of being eco-friendly. We are currently doing MANY projects
about being green. We chose to make this web page that you are
currently hopefully enjoying. Some of the other projects that are
currently in progress are a puppet show, informing the public,
planting, collecting recycling, composting food waste, and more.

Here are some simple things you can do to be green:

RECYCLE: By recycling, the amount of trash going into landfills and
resources going into producing new products dramatically decreases.
However, try to reuse things first because that saves energy that goes
into breaking down recyclables. If you rent a house or live in an
apartment and recycling isn't available to you, talk to your landlord
because EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO RECYCLE! You can recycle paper,
mail, boxboard, corrugated cardboard, cans, plastic bottles with necks
(not the caps!), glass, newspaper, mail, (sometimes) pizza boxes,
household batteries (check regulations), glass bottles, and a lot more.
Contact your recycling provider if you have any questions.

REUSE: Before you recycle, be sure to reuse! You can reuse bags,
clothes, bottles (be sure to wash them), and many more things. You can
also buy used items such as clothes, automobiles, furniture, TVs,
radios, and other electronics. There are special stores just for used
things, even electronics!

SAVE ENERGY: If you want to adopt a green lifestyle, it is vitally
important that you cut down on natural resource use and overuse. You
can do this by simply turning off lights when you leave, open curtains
instead of turning on lights (during the day), turn off computers at
night, watch less TV, don't leave TVs and other electronics on when
they aren't actually being used (for their purpose... ahem!), take
quick SHOWERS (not baths!), turn off water when brushing teeth, soaping
hands, shaving, etc., carpool, and more. A good way to cut down on
water use is plug the drain when you shower and mark where the water
comes up to, then the next time, try to get below that mark, and
continue that same way. Rather than wasting gas, walk or bike, it's better for you AND the environment.

Almost every day, you probably hear people use terms like "global
warming" and "climate change" when talking about the health of Earth's
natural environment. So what does it all mean?

Now do you honestly think we'd write that and then not tell you? NO! So read on to find out...

GLOBAL WARMING: This is the process of the earth heating up.
Over millions of years, scientists have been able to trace changes in
the climate, heating, cooling, heating, cooling, and so on. There's
only one problem: recently, they have noticed that it is getting a lot
warmer a lot faster. What do you think the cause is? That's right,
HUMANS!

CLIMATE CHANGE: This is basically the same thing as global
warming, it is the process of the climate changing (funny how that
works). Because of the climate changing, polar ice caps and glaciers
are melting. Places like Antarctica and Greenland are experiencing
major climate change (MELTDOWN!)and if we keep going on the track we
are now, soon there won't be a Greenland and a lot of Antarctica will
become part of the ocean, which is bad.

Climate change and global warming are both caused because of the carbon dioxide and methane gas in the air.

THE EFFECT ON ANIMALS: Because of humans a lot of animals in the
Arctic are dying. For example polar bears have to swim long distances
and rely on small icebergs for rest and because of global warming a lot
of those icebergs are melting and losing strength so they can't support
the polar bear's weight and for the first time in history, polar bears
are dying. For similar reasons many other arctic animals such as
penguins and walruses are dying.

LITTERING: Littering is a big problem in our world today. Many
people think that it is perfectly okay to just throw your Big Mac
wrapper or pop can on the ground. They just say, "big WHOOP! Earth,
meet my Big Mac!" WELL NEWS FLASH, PEOPLE, it's NOT OKAY! It takes
hundreds and sometimes even thousands of years for that junk to break
down and become part of the earth. So do us all a favor and recycle the
junk.

PVC PIPING:
Some of you may have heard of PVC piping. It is easy to make and it
doesn't wear out as fast as other plastics, also, it's cheap. But,
hey, Big Macs are cheap, and they're not good for you, are they?! PVC
stands for Polly Vinyl Chloride, in other words,
REALLY BAD STUFF. It is very hard on the environment because it is
non-biodegradable, and almost impossible to destroy without hurting
something. When burned, it lets horrible fumes into the air, when
thrown away it just sits there in a landfill and takes up space, and
when eaten it makes you sick. ("Honey, what have I told you about
eating PVC piping? You know it'll make you sick, now I've got to call
an ambulance and worry about you while the surgeons take it out of your
system before you die! And it's gonna rack up a HUGE bill, too!")
Some companies are making green alternatives to PVC. Other companies
(like hospitals) are working to get PVC completely out of their
building. You should do this, too, PVC is bad for all of us and in
order to stop its use, everyone at risk must work together. THAT MEANS
EVERYONE!

IF WE DO NOT GO GREEN.......The effects will be deadly and the
Earth we know today will cease to exist. Pollution today will cause
horrible air quality and we will seldom see clear, blue skies. Global
warming will exterminate many arctic species, and, on top of it all,
much of the Earth's coasts will be under water. That includes New York,
much of California, Greenland, Iceland, and many other beautiful
places. Think about this: If we keep doing this, our grandchildren
won't see penguins, polar bears, or those BEAUTIFUL New York City
lights. Don't you love those? Don't your kids love those? What about
their children? And theirs?

GREENIES: If you're green, you're a GREENIE! And that is
definetly a good thing! Spread the word! Show people how to be green
and volunteer in your community to and make our world a better place.
(And not just for the polar bears.) Being green benefits for everyone
and is most certainly something to be proud of!

We
have recently viewed a video about how climate change is effecting the
world of species all over Earth. Many animals are becoming endangered
and some, like the polar bear (as mentioned above) are going to go
extinct within the next 40 years! Kids our age may not even be
grandparents then! What will happen to the human race if the great
species around us (*ahem* some that were here LOOOOOONG before us) all
die? Soon, humans will be the only thriving species on earth. But
not for long.

LINKS:

Do you want to be green? You can learn how to make you or your business greener from www.greenlife.com.

There
are all sorts of things that you can do to be green, all sorts of
websites have been put up just for being green! If you want to buy
green products to improve life for you and future generations, go to www.recyclingworld.com

To learn more about the endangered/soon to be endangered animals of the world, go to www.wwf.org.
"WWF" stands for World Wildlife Foundation. It is a very good charity
that helps Earth's animals and keeps them safe. To learn more about
them and there charity or how donate, go to their site!

We've
talked a LOT about PVC and other bad things, and we've mentioned some
alternatives and solutions, but here is a website that can tell you
even more about green ways of life. it is (drum roll, please) www.ldisolutions.com

If
you feel that the information we've provided isn't enough and/or you
want to learn more about turning your home into a (duh-duh-DUH) Green
Home (hold for applause), a GREAT website to visit is www.greenhome.com. They have information and products on everything from furniture to kids. They even have sections on each room in your house!